Dishwasher or the like



May 6, 1952 c. HOLLERITH 2,595,660

DISHWASHER OR THE LIKE Filed Dec. 29, 1945 EHQE'L E5 HUL L EFF/TH Patented May 6, 1952 DISHWASHER OR THE LIKE Charles Hollerith, Jackson,

Lake State Products, Inc.,

Mich, assignor to Jackson, Mich, a

corporation of Michigan Application December 29, 1945, Serial No. 638,317

1 Claim. 1

application, Serial No. 638,316, filed on December An object of the invention is to provide an impeller, drain valve and electric motor unit for dishwashers and the like, involving a minimum of structural parts.

Another object is to provide a unit of the described type, in which the valve is opened by the action of gravity and closed by the operation of the electric motor actuating the impeller.

A further object is to provide a drain valve and impeller unit which is raised to close the valve and dropped by gravity to open the valve when the electric motor circuit is closed.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a drain valve and impeller unit for dishwashers and the like, in which an electric motor is provided, having an axially floated armature including a drive shaft carrying the impeller as well as the drain valve, in which the armature is so located relative to the magnetic field that the drain valve is magnetically actuated in one direction and is actuated by gravity in the opposite direction.

These and other objects and advantages present will be more fully appreciated upon consideration of the following specification and claim.

In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a vertical section through the unit, and

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary plan view of the clamping band for supporting the unit from the vat.

Referring to the drawings, the vat Hi has an opening l2 closed by a sump i l, to which the motor housing H3 is attached by bolts iii. A gasket and seat Ed is clamped between the flanges 22 and 2 2 by an adjustable, sectional sheet metal band As more clearly shown in Fig. 2, the band 28 comprises sections 28 and 3t having a hook-and-eye connection 32 and flanges at 34 to receive adjustable bolts 3%. Through this arrangement, the joint between the vat I and sump M is sealed at the same time the parts are firmly assembled together.

Armature 33 of the electric motor it has a shaft t2 having a slip fit at M and a bearing it, and a slip fit at 58 and a bearing B. The packing gland 52 also serves as a further bearing for the upper end of the shaft 42. The reduced portion 54 of the shaft 452 provides a shoulder 56 to support the lower raceway of the bearing 53 while the upper raceway is driven by the central tubular portion (is of the drain valve 62. The impeller 54 is attached to the upper end of 2 the shaft 42 by a screw (it clamping the impellcr 6:3 against the spacer 68.

When the motor circuit is closed, the magnetic field created by the winding it will tend to lift the armature $8 upwardly to the field. This will result in the valve 652 engaging with the seat it of the gasket 253 to close the drain opening in the vat is. When the motor circuit is opened, the valve and im eller unit will drop by gravity into the position shown in the drawing. It will be obvious that the arrangement between the bearing 53 and its associated parts enables the valve 62 to remain stationary while the impeller o l and shaft t2 are rotating at engine speed.

As a further refinement of the construction, it will be noted that the impeller B l has a conical recess l2. Thus shaped, the liquid is thrown out of the recess 72 and away from the bearing and its associated structure.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to be protected by Letters Patent is:

In a dishwasher and the like, a valve and impeller unit comprising a sump, a motor having stator windings and a rotor mounted beneath said sump, a vertical drive shaft connected to and drivenby said rotor and extending from said motor through said sump to a point above said sump, an impeller mounted on the upper end of said shaft, a drain valve surrounding said shaft and having a connection with said shaft, a seat defining an opening surrounding said shaft and located above said drain valve at its outer periphery, said rotor with said windings ole-energized being located axially to one side of the magnetic field of said windings whereby upon energizing said windings said rotor and shaft are lifted to bring said rotor into the magnetic field of said windings to close said valve, said valve and shaft being free to drop by gravity to open said valve and return said rotor to its oiiset position.

CHARLES HOLLERITH.

{DES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,263,515 Pezzillo Nov. 18, 1941 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 491,624 Germany Feb. 12, 1930 

